7 Common Misconceptions About Virtual Administrative Assistants

7 Common Misconceptions About Virtual Administrative Assistants

There are various misconceptions about virtual admin assistants. Let us prove them wrong.

1

Virtual Assistants cause more trouble than help.

They are well trained and professional workers. They are quick learners and can pick up easily all the basics of your business. Like any other in house staff you just have to invest a little of your time to train them. Eventually, you’ll make them a potential assistant for life even better than your in house assistant. They tend to have more luxury to study and make themselves familiar with your company and with little time they will be a great help in speeding up your tasks and even help you speed up the growth of your business.

2

Confidential information can’t be entrusted to them.

I say this is untrue! You have to be very careful in entrusting your company’s confidential information from everyone whether in house or an offshore worker. As the word suggests, it is confidential, you don’t just give it to someone who have worked with you for one day. You have to get to know your online virtual admin assistant first. They take pride of being trustworthy. Our biggest asset is our integrity.

They can only do simple tasks.

Totally not true! Virtual admin assistants are more than just an office administrators, in the long run, they can be your project manager, a bookkeeper, blogger, online marketing assistant, etc. They are able to wear multiple job hats that your regular in house staff would be hesitant to do. On the other hand, some have their own specialized fields and skills depending on your business requirements. They can do way more than just admin tasks or back office jobs.

4

They are way too expensive.

Who says? Virtual admin assistants are contractors being paid according to their working hours. If you think that’s way too expensive, consider then all the money you have to spend in hiring in house staff. You have to set up a desk, computers, printers, labels, etc. You also need to manage their income tax, their insurance and benefits and paying them not just for their completed tasks but as well as for staying at the office.

5

They take too long before getting a task done.

In training a virtual admin assistant, it is very important that you discuss with them the tasks and the time frames or deadlines for each task. In this manner, you will also get to teach them how to manage their time to in shape with your business requirements. VA’s are known to be hard working and dedicated; you just have to be honest on how quickly you want work to turn around.

6

They don’t really work, they just goof around.

Some would still be skeptical about hiring an online virtual admin assistant. If you are one of them, ask those who had or have been working with VA’s. Most (if not all) of them would say things had become lighter and organised, from schedule to workload. They can leave the office assured that clients will receive response from their queries. If you are not convinced with just word of mouth, there are a few software or systems available online that will enable you to track your assistants worked hours, capture their screen shots, and collaborate task or projects.

7

They don’t get as much done.

Virtual admin assistants work from their most comfortable location, their room or home office. Furthermore, they have more freedom in managing their time thus enabling them to be more productive. No chit-chat among colleagues, no temptation to check the nearby coffee shop or boutique. No traffic to cause tardiness and no bad weather conditions hindering them from coming to work – except of course for extreme ones.

Virtual Administrative Assistant Jobs

Virtual administration assistants might be employees who sit before their computers, wearing pajamas, but that doesn’t make them less of a professional. They may just be working from home and not in an elegant office but that doesn’t subtract to their efficiency. They could be a gem to your company. Most VA’s have skills that some in house staff might not have. Hiring VA’s is more than just a cost saving technique; it is a big leap for streamlining your company.